The Once and Future King
by Sassylou
Summary: Kilgharrah had said that Arthur would rise again. Merlin has waited all this time. Hoping, but always doubting. And then the great king returns. But what is threatening Albion? And what has changed since Arthur's day? Will anything be the same for the Once and Future King?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So I've recently finished watching all 5 seasons of Merlin. It's completely amazing. And, of course, it made me want to write some fanfiction. This one is all about what happens when Arthur comes back. Be warned, I will refer to things that happened in the show, so don't read this unless you've watched the whole series or unless you don't mind reading spoilers. Also, I am not British (unfortunately). I'm American. This is a British TV show, and so I will try to do it justice. I know that some words are different between British English and American English. I will do my best to use the correct terms (such as trainers instead of sneakers), but I obviously won't be able to get them all right. Sorry. If anybody reading this _is_ British and knows of any common words that the British use differently than Americans, let me know. I only know some of them. :(**

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_**In Albion's time of greatest need, Arthur will rise again. ~The Great Dragon**_

Merlin's eyes flew open as the sense of powerful magic - very powerful magic - washed over him. He hadn't felt magic that powerful in decades. A magic powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead.

Only a moment later, a small body was landing on his stomach. "Did you feel it? Did you, Pappy? I felt the magic. Did you?"

Chuckling, Merlin sat up, hugging his granddaughter. She was always so full of enthusiasm. And despite the fact that she was only seven years old, she full-heartedly believed the legend of King Arthur. She waited for his return almost as eagerly as her grandfather did. "Yes, Ellie. I felt it."

"Is it him? Is it King Arthur? Is he finally back?"

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Can we go see? Just to make sure? Please?" The little girl bounced up and down, causing her grandfather to wince in pain.

Merlin looked at the clock. "You need to start getting ready for school."

She pouted. "Please, Pappy? Please, please, _please_? What if it is him, and he's just walking around out there all by his lonesome self? He might be sad. We have to go and see."

He sighed. When she really put her mind to it, she was difficult to argue with. _If_ Arthur truly was back, then it was likely that he would be bumbling around like a clotpole. "All right, but you have to get ready first. We'll eat our breakfast on the way."

Ellie cheered and rushed out of Merlin's bedroom. Merlin couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's infectious happiness. She was so much like her grandmother.

Oh, how he missed Kate.

His darling wife had been gone for twenty-three years, but the pain was still there. Some portion of it, anyway. Just as the pain from the deaths of Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, Balinor, and Hunith were still there. He didn't think that pain would ever fully go away. There would always be a dull ache that he couldn't soothe.

"Pappy! I'm ready!" Ellie came into the room again, her black ringlets bouncing against her back. She was wearing a pink shirt with an image of a unicorn on the front. She wore a turquoise sequin skirt over a pair of multicolored leggings. She had green trainers on her feet.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "That was a fast change. And my, you are an array of colors." She usually was, though. He always let her choose her own outfits, and she always chose something with lots of color. He didn't see any reason not to allow a young child to have control over her own wardrobe.

She giggled. "Pappy! You're not even dressed yet! Get up! It might be Arthur!"

"All right, all right." Merlin got himself out of bed. "Go brush your teeth and hair, please."

Ellie ran out of the room again. Merlin quickly got himself dressed. He wasn't as confident as his granddaughter that it _was_ Arthur, but he couldn't get rid of that ray of hope that was forming in his gut.

Ellie gripped his hand as they left the house together. She practically dragged him to the shore of the lake. Merlin had built the house only twelve years after Arthur's death. Of course, it had gone through many renovations throughout the centuries. It had began as nothing more than a hut, really. Now it was a fairly large, one-level home. A home where he had been able to raise his family.

Ellie skidded to a stop near the water's edge. She took a bite of her toast.

The water of the lake was smooth, undisturbed.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something about it, when Ellie shook her head. "Shh. He might just be hiding."

She wouldn't let him talk at all, afraid that talking would somehow keep Arthur from coming back.

But Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

Merlin sighed. They had been waiting and watching for nearly an hour. "It doesn't look like it was Arthur, Ellie. I'm sorry."

"But, Pappy…We can't give up. Maybe we just can't see him yet. We have to wait." And with that, she plopped herself onto the ground and wrapped her arms around knees. She looked resolutely at the lake.

With a sigh, Merlin sat beside her. He supposed he could give her a few more minutes. Out of his three children and four grandchildren, Ellie was the only one who believed in the magic of Avalon, in magic itself. Of course, it helped that she _had_ magic.

He remembered a conversation he'd had with his youngest daughter, Hanna. The whole family had been swimming in the lake earlier in the day. Hanna was only ten at the time.

"Dad? Why do you always stare at the lake like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you're waiting for something."

Kate, standing nearby, had laughed. "He is waiting. He's waiting for a very important person to return. Arthur." She had grinned wickedly at her husband. She had known the truth, the truth about his past. She had known exactly how long he had waited for the Once and Future King to return.

Jenni, who had been sixteen, had looked up from her book. "King Arthur? With the Round Table and all of that?"

Merlin had nodded, lost in thought. "Legend says that when he died, he was taken into the lake of Avalon and the waters gave him immortality of a sort, until Albion's time of greatest need. Then, he would rise again to save it. Some think that this is the lake of Avalon." Of course, it was more than just legend to Merlin. Merlin knew that this was the lake of Avalon, even if the rest of the world didn't. He knew exactly where Arthur's body had been placed.

Fourteen-year-old Arty had snorted in contempt. "That's stupid, Dad. I've gone swimming in this lake a thousand times. I'm not immortal. And you've got grey hairs. There is no such thing as King Arthur or Avalon or any of that other crap that you're always going on about. They never existed."

Now, as Merlin looked out at the lake, he almost wondered if it had all been a dream. Camelot, Gaius, King Arthur. If little Arty had been right, and that none of it had every existed. But he knew it had all happened. It had been real.

Ellie had asked him, if he was immortal, why he let himself look so old. "Why can't you make yourself a boy, so we could play together even more?" she had wanted to know.

He supposed he could make himself look young again, by taking off the aging spell. But he knew it would create more tension between himself and his family. They didn't need to know his past.

He glanced at his watch. "All right, Ellie. It's time for school."

"Five more minutes. Please, Pappy?"

"No. You're already late. Come on. I get in trouble enough as it is for not having you to school on time. I always seem to bring you in late." He stood and held his hand out to her. With a sigh, she took it.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellie clutched her stuffed dragon as she climbed into bed, yawning. "Pappy?" she said, as her grandfather tucked her in.

"Yes?"

"Was Daddy like King Arthur? Is that why you gave him the same name?"

Merlin's heart clenched at the mention of his deceased son, Ellie's father. "I named him Arthur to honor King Arthur. When your grandmother and I named him, we didn't know if he would be like the king or not. In some ways, he was a lot like King Arthur. He was brave. He was loyal. He didn't like the idea of magic. And he could be a prat," Merlin finished with a grin.

Ellie grinned in return. She giggled once.

Merlin tapped her nose affectionately and then kissed her forehead. "I love you. Goodnight, Ellie. I'll be right outside the house if you need me."

She yawned, her eyes closing. "Goodnight," she murmured.

Merlin made sure she was fully asleep before getting a bottle of golden rum and going outside. He didn't drink very often. The last time he'd had a drink was at least seven years ago. He sat down near the edge of the lake and took a swig. He wanted to drown out the hope that had been steadily building throughout the day.

Arthur wasn't coming back. Not today. Maybe not ever.

A laugh sounded above him. "Well, seeing as you spend so much time in the tavern, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you with a drink in your hand."

"I never went to the tavern," Merlin replied automatically, not looking up. "That was the only excuse Gaius could think of."

"I'm not sure I believe that, Merlin."

Merlin's head snapped up. The familiarity of the voice had finally sunk in. There, standing over him, dripping wet, was a knight of Camelot. Not just any knight, but King Arthur.

Merlin rubbed his eyes, then studied his bottle of rum. It was nearly empty. "I'm drunk," he said finally. "I'm drunk and I'm imagining things."

The door of the house opened suddenly. "Did you feel it again? Did you? Did you?" a young voice asked, as a little girl came running toward the two men.

Ellie skidded to a stop next to Merlin, her grey eyes wide. She gasped, staring up at Arthur. "It's him, isn't it?" she asked in a whisper.

Arthur held out his hand. "Hello. I'm Arthur. And who are you?"

She squealed and launched herself at Arthur, hugging him tightly. "I'm Ellie Lauren Emrys!" she announced proudly.

"Emrys?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin. "That's what Morgana called you."

"Yes. It's the name that the druids knew me by. I use it as my last…My surname now."

"And Ellie is your…daughter?"

Ellie giggled.

Merlin shook his head. "She's my youngest granddaughter. Her father died before she was even a year old and her mother died in childbirth, so I've been raising her."

Arthur's eyes widened. "I've been dead long enough for you to have a _granddaughter_?"

"Two granddaughters, actually. And two grandsons." Merlin laughed at his friend's shocked face. "It has been a very long time. Come on inside. We can talk, once I get this little one back to bed."

"Pappy," Ellie whined.

"No arguing. You have school tomorrow. Get."

Grumbling, Ellie went inside the house. Merlin and Arthur followed behind her.

Merlin got her back into bed and tucked her in. Then he led Arthur to his kitchen. Arthur stared at the stainless steel appliances, his brow furrowed.

"Just how much time has passed?"

Merlin winced. "Perhaps you should get settled in first."

"Merlin."

"I really think you should get a chance to settle in before I start telling you things like that. It's a lot to handle."

"_Merlin_."

The warlock sighed. "About fifteen-hundred years."

Arthur's jaw dropped. "And you're still alive? After all this time?"

"Apparently. I'm immortal, it seems."

"Are you going to look that old forever?"

Merlin laughed. "No. I've made myself look this way for now. I stopped aging the day you died. I could look that way now, but I've got an aging spell on me right now. I think the lake of Avalon granted me immortality, so I could be here when you rose again. Kilgharrah told me you would rise again."

"Why?"

"Because Albion needs you again, Arthur. In-"

"No, you idiot. Why would you want to look…old?"

Merlin grinned wryly. "Ellie knows the truth about me…my past, my magic, my immortality. The rest of my children and grandchildren don't. Magic is all but gone from this world now. Jenni, my oldest daughter, might believe it. Maybe. She has always been interested in this sort of thing. But Hanna never would. I don't want to ruin what little relationship I have with her by telling her the truth. It's easier for me to allow my body to look aged than to destroy the fragile relationships with my daughters."

Arthur looked around again. "Fifteen-hundred years," he said slowly.

"Oh, yes. A lot has changed."

"How much?"

Merlin hesitated.

"How much, Merlin?"

"There is no Camelot. Not really. What used to be Camelot is now part of a kingdom known as Great Britain. But a very old term for Great Britain is Albion. Camelot has become part of something even greater than she ever could be on her own. But the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table is just that: a legend. Most people don't think that any of it was real."

The king leaned back in his chair, stunned. "A legend? People don't even believe it?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Gwen?"

"She reigned over Camelot for many years. The ban on magic was lifted. The five kingdoms were at peace with each other, and eventually all became part of Great Britain. She never married again, though. She never forgot you, Arthur."

"And you? What did you do after my death?" Arthur asked quietly.

Merlin glanced down. "I went home, to Ealdor. I stayed there until my mother died. And then I came here, and built my home. And I've waited, for the day you would return."

"And did you…find someone to love? I see that you have a family now."

"I didn't find someone to love for a long time. I met a girl about six hundred years after your death. We…very nearly got married. It fell through, at the last minute. And then, fifty years ago, I met Katherine." A smile lit up Merlin's wrinkled face at the thought of his wife. "She had noticed that I walked past the lake every day. She wanted to know why, and she wouldn't leave me alone until I told her. And she wouldn't accept anything less the truth. We married four years later, had three children."

"Where is she now?"

"She died twenty-three years ago. She had cancer. It's a disease that's common now," the warlock explained, when he saw his friend's confused expression.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Merlin stood up, clapping Arthur on the shoulder. "That's enough talk for tonight. Get some sleep." And then, with a smile, he added, "Sire."

The blonde man scowled. "Sleep. I feel like that's all I've been doing."

"Yes, but your body still needs the rest, as strange as that may sound. Come, I'll show you to where you can sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad!" a female voice called loudly.

Merlin, groaning, looked over at the clock. He still had about ten minutes before his alarm was set to go off. He sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He never understood why she chose to come around at such inconvenient times. She knew he'd be needing to get Ellie ready for school.

"Dad! Where are you? Don't tell me you're still in bed. And…Hang on. Is that _chainmail_ on the back of the sofa? Why have you got _chainmail_?"

"Auntie Hanna!" Ellie cried, and Merlin heard her little feet pound past his bedroom.

And then, from across the hall, a voice yelled, "Merlin!" Merlin smirked. It wasn't a confused or worried yell. It was a yell of superiority. He'd bet that Arthur was not fully awake yet. He probably didn't even remember where he was. Any second, he was going to yell at Merlin to do something for him, just as he would back at the castle in Camelot. "Merlin! Get me some breakfast!"

"And…there it is," he said, pulling himself out of the bed.

He left the bedroom just as Hanna was walking down the hall. "I'm just going to pop into the loo, Dad. I turned on the telly. Sally's on one of the early morning programs. Ellie's watching it now. Who've you got here?"

"An old friend."

"Well, he's not a very nice friend. Making you get him breakfast." Hanna disappeared into the loo, shaking her head. Only a moment later, Arthur opened the door to the guest bedroom, wearing a pair of Merlin's pyjamas. He still looked half-asleep.

"Merlin. Where is my breakfast?" he demanded, rubbing his eyes.

Merlin folded his arms. "I'm not your servant anymore. You can't tell me what to do."

"Not that it ever does me any good to tell you what to do. You never listen." Arthur blinked a few times, looking around in confusion. "Oh. Right. I rose out of the lake fifteen-hundred years after I died. Now I remember. Who was just yelling?"

"My youngest daughter, Hanna. She loves to pop in early in the morning and late at night. Come on into the kitchen. I'll get some breakfast started."

Arthur followed Merlin. As they passed through the sitting room, Arthur froze. His gaze was on the television that Ellie was watching. "What is that?" he asked.

"The telly," the little girl answered. She was already dressed, in a rainbow striped dress. She was lucky that her primary school allowed her to wear whatever she wanted. Most primary schools in Britain did not. Once she started secondary school, she would have to wear a uniform.

"It's a television," Merlin explained. "It's a way to communicate. Sort of. It's used for entertainment as well. I'll explain it later. It's much too complicated to get into right now."

"Is it magic?"

Merlin grinned. "No. It's science."

Hanna returned just as Merlin began preparing breakfast. "Who's this, Dad?" she asked, eyeing Arthur hungrily.

"No," Merlin said immediately. He didn't even need to look at her to know what she was doing. "You have a boyfriend, he's twelve years younger than you, _and_ he just found out that his wife is dead. No, Hanna. Don't even think about it."

She rolled her eyes. "Who is he, Dad?"

"He's Ki-" Ellie began.

Merlin cut her off with a look. "Ellie," he said simply. He shook his head.

Ellie pretended to seal her lips and throw away the key. Then she giggled.

Hanna narrowed her eyes. "What is going on, Dad? Who is this?"

"I told you. He's an old friend."

"Nonsense. You said that he's twelve years younger than me, which would put him at twenty-six. You're going to be seventy-six in a few months. He's fifty years younger than you. You can't be that old of friends."

"Hanna. Drop it. He's a friend. That's all you need to know."

Arthur frowned. "Merlin, I think you should tell her."

"No." Merlin wouldn't look at his friend.

"She has a right to know."

"I said no."

Hanna frowned, her eyes moving between the two arguing men.

"Merlin. You need to tell her. And the rest of your family as well."

"Or what?" Merlin demanded angrily. "You'll put me in the stocks?"

"Merlin. Don't be ridiculous. Tell them. If you don't, I will."

Merlin spun around to face Arthur. "Damnit. Don't you dare. It's _my_ family, _my_ life, and _my_ decision, you prat. _You_ don't have any right to tell them anything." With that, Merlin angrily stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door.

Arthur sighed.

Hanna raised an eyebrow at him, still frowning. Her frown deepened when she noticed that he was wearing a pair of her father's pyjamas. He had obviously spent the night at her father's home. "Who are you?" she asked again.

Distracted, he answered, "I'm nobody."

She shook her head and moved to her father's bedroom. She knocked on the door. "Dad? I'm going to get Ellie off to school. I'll get her some breakfast on the way. Is that all right?"

"Yes."

That was the only answer she got.

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**Author's Note: Okay, I really hope that I got the information about primary school uniforms right. I looked it up, and found that while most schools in Britain require a uniform, there are some that don't. At least at the primary level (which is what we would call elementary school in America, I think, if I understand it correctly - and secondary school is the same as middle/high school). Also, I kind of took a guess with Arthur's age when he died. I was too lazy to watch the entire series again to make sure that I had the timeline correct from the show. This is assuming that Arthur was 18 in the first season/series, and that he was twenty-six in the last one, when he died. And that Merlin was 2 years younger than him. It might not be right, but that's what I'm sticking with! Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave reviews. Please be nice, though. I accept constructive criticism, as I always want to try to be better, but I don't appreciate straight-out criticism. **


	4. Chapter 4

**You get two chapters in one day! Lucky you! Oh, and I wanted to thank crumpdoreen for correcting me about uniforms in Britain. I was informed that they do wear uniforms, even in primary school. Google doesn't always provide me with the most accurate information. I do at least try to find out something that I don't know. I apologize again if it's not correct. Just steer me in the right direction.**

**So we'll just pretend that Ellie was wearing her uniform to school both days (because I really hate going back and changing a chapter once I've already posted it). I'll remember to keep that in mind in the future. **

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A few hours later, Hanna was back. Only this time, she was dragging Jenni along with her. Merlin had finally come out to finish making the breakfast, and he and Arthur had just finished eating and were still sitting at the dining table, when the two sisters came into the house.

Merlin sighed. "Don't you know how to knock?" he grumbled. Which, incidentally, was something that Arthur had complained to him on multiple occasions.

"Dad," Jenni chided. "Don't be a grumpy old man."

Merlin glared at her. "I _am_ a grumpy old man. What do you girls want?"

They exchanged a look. "Well, you could start off by introducing us to your gentleman friend," Jenni said.

Merlin sighed in frustration. "He's a very dear friend to me. That's all you need to know."

Jenni chewed her lip worriedly. Then she sat in the chair next to his. She covered his hand with her own. "Look, Dad. We want you to know that we understand. You can't control who you...have feelings for. We love you no matter what. It's just…Well, there's a very large age difference, and we don't think it would be healthy for either one of -"

Merlin scrambled out of his chair suddenly, his eyes wide. A slight blush rose in his cheeks. "Bloody hell. No. _No_. Absolutely not."

"Dad, it's all right. Really," Hanna insisted.

"No. He's a prat. And a clotpole. And…a dollophead. No, no, _no_."

Arthur frowned. "I'm not sure I understand what is going on here."

"You really don't want to. Trust me. Girls, I'm not…I'm not gay. All right? No."

"Then why are you being so secretive? Dad, this isn't like you. Just tell us," Jenni insisted.

Merlin began pacing the room. "No."

"Merlin -"

"They'd never believe me," Merlin interrupted, not even looking at his friend. "And even if they did, they'd never look at me the same again."

"Is that really so bad?"

"Yes. It changed how you looked at me, when I told you about the ma- my gifts. I don't want to see that same look of betrayal and mistrust in their eyes that I saw in your eyes. They're my _children_."

Arthur stood up. He placed his hands on Merlin's shoulders and waited until the warlock looked at him before he began speaking. "I felt betrayed, yes, at first. But I was the one in the wrong, Merlin, not you. I should never have allowed my prejudices to overshadow our friendship, to overshadow your loyalty and goodness. You lied to protect me, to keep me from having to make an impossible decision. But, as you said, these are your _children_. They deserve to know. After all, it's their heritage. And, Merlin? You deserve to claim credit for everything that you have done, all these years."

Merlin's lips twitched. "That was an impressive little speech, considering that speech-writing has never been your strong suit. You always had me do it for you."

"Shut up."

"And I thought I wasn't supposed to get the credit while I was still around to enjoy it?"

"I'm changing that."

Merlin sighed. "They'll never believe it."

"Just tell them. Perhaps they'll surprise you. If they're anything like you, I'm sure they will. You always managed to surprise me."

Merlin sighed again, sitting down slowly. He looked at his two daughters, who had confused expressions on their faces. "All right," he said. "All right. I'll tell you what's going on. It will be hard for you to believe, and it will be hard for me to explain. This man here is Arthur. He's the person who I…who your mother and I named your brother after."

Arthur grinned. "You named your son after me? I thought I was a prat, a clotpole, and a dollophead?"

"You are. Oh, shut up, Arthur."

Jenni held up a hand. "Wait. You always told us that you had named him after _King_ Arthur. The legend. And my name is a deviation of Queen Guinevere."

Merlin nodded, looking at Arthur. "Guinevere isn't exactly a common name anymore," he explained. "So Kate and I named her Jennifer, a modern version of Gwen's name. Her middle name is Molly, after Kate's mother. Arty's middle name was James, after Kate's father."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "So you had Jennifer and Arthur. What about Hanna? Does that name have any special meaning?"

"Well, I couldn't name her Hunith, now could I? Nobody has that name anymore. Hanna was about as close as we could get."

"_Hunith_?" Hanna demanded.

"That was my mother's name."

"I never knew that," Jenni said quietly. "You've never told us your parents' names. Or anything about your parents, really."

"You would have thought I was making it up. Hunith and Balinor? Those aren't exactly names used nowadays. So we named her Hanna Bailey. It really was as close as we could get."

"Wait just a minute. Balinor?" Arthur asked sharply. "_Balinor_ was your father? The last Dragonlord?" Then he started laughing. "Of course. And I'm guessing you inherited his gifts. _That's_ how you were able to control the dragon at Camlan."

Jenni gasped. "I _knew_ those names sounded familiar, Hunith and Balinor. Bloody hell, Dad. Are you actually trying to pass off some bloody television program as your _life_? And you thought that we would believe that rubbish? Even if your friend does look almost exactly like the actor who played Arthur."

"That _rubbish_ happens to have been my life, young lady."

Hanna crossed her arms. "Dad, really. If that were true, how would the producers have possibly known any of it?"

"I…might have used magic to plant the ideas into the heads of the producers and writers. I was tired of the stories not portraying Arthur as the complete prat he really was. And of them getting nearly all of the important facts wrong. Like the fact that _I_ was mostly responsible for saving Camelot on many occasions. I wanted the world to know the truth, in a way. Even if they didn't realize it was the truth."

Jenni stared at her father, and then she started laughing. "Okay, Dad. Real funny. But what's really going on? Who is this guy, seriously?"

"He really is King Arthur."

"Prove it," Hanna challenged.

Merlin looked at his friend. "Well?" he prompted. "Tell them something that only King Arthur would know."

"How would that prove anything? They wouldn't know if I was lying or not. You could _show_ them, however."

"Show them what?" Merlin asked. Then he realized what Arthur was suggesting. "No. No, I won't do it. They don't need to see it."

"What are you so afraid of? Merlin, there are no more laws to prevent you from being yourself," Arthur pointed out. "At least, I don't think that there are."

Merlin looked down. "It's one thing to know about it. It's another thing entirely to _see_ it, Arthur. It changes the way people look at you and think about you."

"I know," Arthur said softly. "I know. But I also know that sometimes it changes for the better, and not for the worse."

"Perhaps. But I'm not even sure that I _could_ at the moment. I've been keeping this spell for decades, and it takes nearly all of my power to maintain it for that length of time. I really do feel like an old man."

Arthur smirked. "I'm sure it's nothing for the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth," he teased.

"Arthur."

"All right. Try something easier, then. Instead of _performing_ a spell, why don't you _undo_ one?"

Merlin frowned. "What do you mean?" Then his blue eyes widened. "You can't be serious, Arthur. They'll have panic attacks. No. It's too much."

"Dad," Jenni said. "Whatever it is that you're talking about, we can handle it. We won't panic. Just…do it. Show us."

Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. He muttered an enchantment under his breath. There was a time he hadn't been able to undo this spell without the potion, but he had long since mastered his powers. He probably could have undone it without saying the enchantment at all.

He heard his daughters gasp. "Dad!" they both exclaimed.

He opened his eyes, unable to keep a smile off his face. "Ah, I can't tell you how much better that feels."

"Dad, you're…you're…you're…" Hanna stuttered.

"Young again," he supplied. "This is how old I was when Arthur died. I was in my twenties. The only reason that you've seen me get older all these years is because I've done an aging spell. A very careful aging spell."

Jenni shook her head, rubbing her eyes. "No. You can't be serious."

Arthur smirked. "He is. That's the Merlin I remember."

"You can't really be…" Jenni trailed off. "My own father is the legendary Merlin from Camelot? I never even thought the stories could be true."

Hanna shook her head. "What the hell, Dad? So you've been _lying_ to us our entire lives?"

Merlin sighed. "I thought it was for the bes-"

"Did Mum know?"

"Yes, Hanna. She knew."

"You could have told us." Then Hanna stood up and stormed out of the house.

Merlin stood, as if to follow after her. Jenni rested her hand on his arm to stop him. "I'll talk to her, Dad. I love you." She kissed his cheek before following her sister.

Merlin sighed. "I knew this would happen. She hates me now."

"She doesn't hate you," Arthur told him softly. "She just needs a little time."


	5. Chapter 5

**I promise that the threat against Albion will be revealed soon. Or at least hinted at :) Right now, I'm still getting the family introduced. But there will be something mentioned about the threat in the next chapter, I promise.**

* * *

Ellie excitedly climbed into the backseat of her grandfather's Ford Focus. Her smile fell a little when she saw that the passenger seat to the left of Merlin was empty. "Where's Arthur?" she wanted to know.

"Back at the house. I didn't think he was quite ready for a drive through the modern world yet."

Ellie nodded, looking at her grandfather for the first time since she'd come out of the schoolyard. "Pappy!" she gasped. "You look young again!"

He chuckled. "I know. I showed your aunties my magic today."

Ellie clapped, then buckled herself in. "Does that mean I can show them my magic as well?"

"We'll see."

The young girl hummed as they drove home. The moment Merlin parked, she launched herself out of her seat and toward the house.

Merlin hurried to catch up to her. His body felt so much better now that the aging spell was gone. And he was actually able to keep up with his granddaughter.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice called, sounding a little panicky, as soon as Merlin walked into the house. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, clotpole. Who else would it be? What's wrong?" Of course, as soon as he saw Arthur, he realized what was wrong. His mobile - which he'd forgotten on the counter - was ringing. Arthur was staring at it, his eyes wide.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the mobile phone. "It won't stop making noise."

"It's my mobile phone. It's a…communication device. Two people can talk through it."

"Magic?" Arthur guessed.

Merlin grinned. "Nope. Science," he said, and then he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Granddad," a young male voice said. "Mum says that you told her and Auntie Hanna that you…that you're _the_ Merlin. Like, the one from the King Arthur legends? Granddad, are you…Have you been drinking a lot lately? Or…something else?"

"Lance Michael Stanford," Merlin said sternly. "No, I have not. Are you the only one she told, or does Bradley know as well?"

"I know, Granddad!" Merlin heard Brad say in the background. "I think it's brilliant! Oh, and Sally knows. She's sitting right here."

Merlin sighed. "I should have known that your mothers would have told you three. They should have allowed me to explain it. I'm assuming you all have questions?"

"Of course," Lance replied. "Mum said something about you looking twenty again?"

Merlin grinned. "Well, a little older than twenty."

"Bloody brilliant!" Brad exclaimed.

"Oi," Merlin warned. "Watch your language, young man. Go ahead and come over. I suppose you'll be wanting to meet Arthur as well. Does your father know, Lance?"

"I don't know. He's still at work."

"Your mum will probably tell him when he gets home, if she hasn't already. Come on over, all three of you."

After saying their goodbyes, Merlin hung up. He dropped the mobile back onto the counter.

"Pappy?" Ellie asked. She had very patiently waited through his conversation. "Can I watch _The Sword in the Stone_? With Arthur?"

"Well, your cousins are coming over to meet Arthur. We'll have to watch the movie another time. Why do you like that one so much, Ellie? Most of it's wrong, you know."

She giggled. "I know. But it's funny. The other ones are boring. Especially that one that you like so much."

Merlin put his hands on his hips. "Excuse me, but that one happens to be what really happened."

"Well, it's boring!"

Arthur frowned. "What is…a movie?" he asked.

"Oh, it's something that you watch on the telly. The television. Like Ellie was watching this morning. We'll show you how it works later."

Arthur nodded, then pointed to the mobile. "And how does that work? You said it was science, not magic?"

Merlin nodded. "Science has come a long way since our day. A mobile telephone sends your voice through radio waves from one mobile to another. You can speak to another person who is across the world with one of these."

"Amazing."

Merlin grinned. "It truly is. I've been able to _see_ all of it happening. I was there when mobiles were first invented. Sometimes I forget just how truly amazing it all is."

"I heard the name Lance?" Arthur asked.

"Ah, yes. My oldest grandson. Jenni had always loved to hear the stories of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. She really like the character of Lancelot, but she knew that any child with that name these days would be teased and bullied about it. She and her husband, Harry, decided to name him Lance, a shortened version of her favorite name." Merlin gave his friend a smirk. "It looks like you'll be meeting the entire family today. I'm sure that Harry will stop by after work."

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Arthur?"

"I love the opportunity to meet the rest of your grandchildren, but…" he trailed off.

Merlin knew exactly what he was thinking. He usually did. "You're worried about what I said earlier, about it being Albion's time of greatest need."

"Yes."

"I know. I haven't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. However, tomorrow is Saturday. Ellie doesn't have school, and you need clothes of your own. You can't keep borrowing mine. I thought we could go shopping, and I'll see if I can get a sense of anything while we're out. I don't know if Albion is facing a specific threat, or if you're needed to help fight against the general evils of the world. It's pretty bad. Until we know what we're facing, there's not much we can do about it."

The door opened, and three young people came in. The two boys were tall and lanky, while the girl was just slightly short. The girl had dark blonde hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. The older boy's hair was raven-black, his skin was olive, and his eyes were milk chocolate. The youngest boy had a shock of red hair, pale and freckled skin, and blue-green eyes.

"Well, I have to admit, I thought Mum was barmy. I didn't really believe it," the girl said. "Granddad, you barely look older than _me_."

Merlin grinned. "I am barely older than you. I'm only two years older. I was twenty-four when Arthur died. That's when I stopped aging. Once I took the aging spell off, that's the age that I reverted to." Merlin looked at Arthur, and then pointed to the youngest boy. "Arthur, this is my youngest grandson, Bradley. That's his older brother, Lance. They're Jenni's children. And this is Sally, Hanna's daughter."

Arthur smiled at his friend's grandchildren. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Is the program _Merlin_ really all about your life?" Bradley asked. "Because I have seen every single episode, and I can't see you doing all that brilliant stuff with magic. Although I will admit that you two do look a _lot_ like those actors."

"Well, I did have a little bit to do with that."

"You can really do magic?" Sally asked. She was watching her grandfather carefully, but her gaze kept drifting to Arthur.

"So can I!" Ellie exclaimed suddenly, announcing her presence to her cousins. "I can do magic! See?" She chanted under her breath, and a blue orb of light appeared in her hand.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at his former manservant. "In that cave, when I went to retrieve the Morteaus flower. _You_ sent me that light?"

Merlin nodded. "I don't remember doing it. Gaius said that I conjured it in my delirium."

"You were _dying_, and a good distance away from me. How on earth did you manage that?"

"You forget, Arthur, that I didn't study magic. I was born with it. Magic is an integral part of who I am. I am more powerful than any other sorcerer who has ever lived." He looked down at his youngest grandchild and grinned. He ruffled her hair. "Although Ellie here may just end up taking that title from me. She was born with magic as well. She's learning quite well."

Bradley smirked. "Granddad, you have to show Arthur _Merlin_."

"Perhaps not yet. He hasn't had much experience with modern technology yet. Ellie wants him to watch _The Sword in the Stone_ first."

Lance crinkled his nose. "That movie is rubbish."

Ellie sank her little fist into her older cousin's thigh. "You take that back. Take that back right now."

"Ellie, that is enough. Don't hit."

"Pappy, he called it rubbish," she whined.

"That does not mean that you get to hit him. He only said that because it's not very accurate. And Lance, don't provoke her. You know that's her favorite movie."

Arthur was watching this exchange with a small smile. "I never thought I would say this to you, Merlin, or even have the opportunity to say it, but you make a decent parental figure."

"Decent? What would you know about it?"

"Oh, shut up, Merlin."

Sally grinned. "I can see why Mum and Auntie Jenni thought they might be gay," she said to her cousins. "Just listen to the two of them."

"Oi!" Merlin exclaimed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter! As promised, we'll at least get a glimpse into the threat against Albion. Hope you enjoy, especially the beginning of this chapter. I just had to let Merlin get a little bit of revenge. And sorry that this chapter's a little shorter than the others.**

"I won't do it. I will not wear this."

"Don't you want to blend in with all the other young men?"

"There is absolutely no chance that this is what is worn by young men today. I didn't see either of your grandsons wearing anything this ridiculous yesterday."

"That's because Bradley is still in school and was wearing his school uniform when they came over. And Lance was wearing his...uh, his...work uniform," Merlin lied. "Trust me, Arthur, this is what all the young men are wearing today. It's the fashion."

Arthur scowled. "Then why aren't you wearing it?"

"I can't go out in public as my younger self, obviously. People who know me would notice. They would wonder how I was suddenly fifty-two years younger. I'm going to have put the aging spell back on, at least while we're out shopping. This is not something that _old_ men wear. Only the young men."

Still scowling, Arthur fingered the beaded necklaces around his neck. He was wearing dark blue bell-bottom jeans and a paisley-printed shirt. Long strands of beads hung around his neck. And finally, to top off the ensemble, he had on a pair of large sunglasses.

Merlin struggled not to to snigger as he put his aging spell back in place. The two of them went back into the living room.

Ellie was sitting on the sofa, playing with her stuffed dragon. Her dark hair had been pulled into pigtails. She wore a pink dress with purple swirls all over it. Her tights were lime green, and her trainers were also purple.

She looked up and giggled when she saw Arthur in his outfit.

"Why is she laughing?" Arthur wanted to know. "Merlin, why is your granddaughter laughing at me?"

Merlin turned his head slightly so that Arthur wouldn't be able to see him when he held a finger to his lips. Ellie giggled again, but nodded.

"Merlin -"

"Don't worry, Arthur," Merlin interrupted. "She's only laughing because…she's used to seeing you wearing chainmail. She's not used to seeing you in modern clothing. It's nothing. Let's go."

The three of them made their way to Merlin's car. Arthur copied Merlin as he buckled himself in. Merlin started the car and drove to the shops. Arthur was staring wide-eyed out the window.

"So, what do you think of the twenty-first century?" the sorcerer asked, as he parked.

Arthur gulped. "It's very…busy."

"That's one way of describing it. And just to warn you, Sally may meet up with us. She loves any excuse to shop. She's just like her mother in that way."

"Thank you for the warning," Arthur mumbled, looking at the other shoppers. His eyes began to narrow in suspicion as he noticed that there was nobody else dressed as he was. _Nobody_. Just as he opened his mouth to say something to his friend, he heard somebody laugh beside him.

"Well, it's no wonder I couldn't find you. Granddad's old again, and Arthur looks like he just came from the seventies," Sally said, giving Merlin a hug. She looked at Arthur and laughed again. "Is that an outfit that you actually wore, Granddad?"

"Yeah. About forty years ago," Merlin responded, and then he started laughing. He couldn't keep the laughter in anymore.

Arthur glared at Merlin. "You _lied_ to me," he accused. He angrily took off the sunglasses and the beads. The warlock just laughed harder.

Sally grinned at her grandfather. "Is this your revenge for the silly hat at the feast?"

Merlin just nodded, still laughing.

"I cannot believe you still remember that," Arthur said with a scowl.

"How could I forget? Those feathers. It was absolutely ridiculous. And no other servants of Camelot were wearing it. You deserved this," Merlin said, gesturing to Arthur's outfit.

Ellie, grinning, reached up to hold Arthur's hand. "Don't worry, King Arthur," she said. "Sally and I will make sure we get you some nice clothes that won't look so silly."

Sally grinned. "If we left it all up to Granddad, you'd end up in blue and purple shirts with red scarves."

Arthur shuddered at the idea.

Merlin opened his mouth to reply indignantly, but Sally cut him off. "No," she said, looping her arm through Arthur's. "We need to find you something that will accentuate your wonderful physique." She grinned slyly at him.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "Oh, not you, too, Sally. Your _mother_ was trying flirt with him."

"Oh, it's just a bit of fun, Granddad."

The sorcerer shook his head. He was about to respond when he sensed it. He spun around. Frowning, he searched the crowds. He thought he had sensed…No, but it couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

"It can't be," he muttered.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked in concern. "Are you having one of your funny feelings again?"

"Something like that," the sorcerer mumbled. He continued searching, but he couldn't see her anywhere. He couldn't sense her anymore, either. He must have imagined it.

But why? Why now, after all this time?

"Merlin. What is wrong?" Arthur demanded.

Sighing, Merlin leaned closer to his friend. He lowered his voice, careful not to let his granddaughters hear him. "For just a moment, I thought I had sensed…Morgana." Arthur's eyes hardened. "It was only for an instant. I'm not even certain that I actually to sensed it because now…nothing. I can't sense her anywhere anymore."

"We should go back to your home and-"

"Do what, exactly, Arthur? I can't trace her or track her, _if_ that was actually her. I don't think that it was. I would still be able to sense her if that was the case. My powers are much stronger than they were in your day. I would be able to sense someone as powerful as her, and I don't. And you really do need new clothes."

"Merlin -"

"I will keep my senses open, just in case, and my magic ready. Don't worry. I'm sure my mind is just playing tricks on me. I am over fifteen-hundred years old, and it's been a busy couple of days."

"_Merlin_."

"Come along, then," Merlin said briskly, ignoring his friend. He tried to brush the feeling off. There was no sense in worrying Arthur. He was certain it was just his mind playing tricks on him. She couldn't be back. It wasn't possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is quite a bit longer than the others. Yay for you!**

* * *

The woman paced, flexing and unflexing her hands. "Emrys is still alive. After fifteen-hundred years, he still manages to thwart my plans. And Arthur…Has he been alive all this time as well?"

Nicholas stood up. "Your plans? They're _my_ plans, Morgana. And no, Arthur has not been alive all this time. I think his body was preserved in the lake of Avalon. Legends have stated that King Arthur would return. I expected this. It won't interfere."

"And Emrys?" Morgana growled. "Did you expect him?"

Nicholas shrugged. "I'm not worried. I was unaware that he was still alive. The legends have never said anything about Emrys or Merlin or whoever he is. I had assumed he had died centuries ago. But, like I said, I'm not worried. I can handle him. Morgana, you need to rest. You are still weak from the spell. You will do me no good in a weak state. Your magic will take longer to return if you-"

Morgana held up a shaking hand, interrupting him.

Nicholas did not like to be interrupted.

"My magic will return soon enough. In the meantime, Emrys must be destroyed. I can never become queen as long as he stands in my way."

Nicholas laughed. "One old man? He's nothing. And remember that _you_ are not in control here. I am. You are bound to _me_. You'll only become queen if I make it happen."

"He is more than a _man_, you fool. He is magic itself. All that power." Morgana smiled evilly, an idea forming in her mind. "With his power, I would be unstoppable. I don't need to destroy Emrys at all. I just need to steal his power, and make it my own."

"Ah, Morgana, you're forgetting something." Nicholas grinned, his smile just as wicked as the sorceress's.

"What?" she snapped.

He snapped his fingers, his eyes glowing gold, and Morgana was forced into a bowing position. "You belong to me. You do what I tell you, and nothing else. You won't be getting Emrys's powers. _I_ will. _I_ will be the one to become king. And if you're good, perhaps I'll allow you to be my queen."

Morgana glared at him.

* * *

Merlin sat at his dining room table, spell books spread out in front of him. He was once again young, having taken the aging spell off as soon as he'd gotten home. He was much more comfortable without it.

Arthur (dressed in a comfortable tee-shirt and jeans) and Ellie were on the sofa, watching _The Sword in the Stone_. They had just put it in, and already Arthur was providing entertaining commentary.

"Well, they certainly got your strangeness right, Merlin."

And then:

"_That_ is supposed to be _me_? I'm a year older than you, not…not…not…" he trailed off, angry.

Merlin's response was distracted. "Disney took quite a few liberties with the legend. There have been many versions, and none of them have gotten it quite right. Well, until I gave some producers a little nudge in the right direction. Most of the stories portray me only as an old man."

Merlin couldn't understand how he could feel Morgana's presence, even for a second. There was no reason for him to imagine that she was there, and there was no way that she could actually be there. He had _killed_ her. And there had been nobody there to take her body to the lake of Avalon. He was certain that nobody besides himself was powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead, and he certainly hadn't brought Morgana back. At least, he'd never sensed anyone powerful enough.

"Can you really see centuries into the future?" Arthur asked.

"Of course not. A few years, maybe, at the most. And no, before you can even ask, I cannot _travel_ to the future. There is no spell for that. I had to live through it all."

Merlin focused back on the book in front of him. Was there a spell that could both bring back the dead _and_ mask their presence from another sorcerer? He'd never heard of such a thing. He didn't even think that there was a spell to mask a sorcerer's presence. At least, not from him. So why couldn't he still sense her, if she was back?

Arthur laughed. "Lovely pink undergarments, Merlin."

Merlin mumbled some kind of response, he wasn't even sure what.

Most sorcerers couldn't actually sense each other. Well, the Druids had been able to, but they had died out ages ago. But over the centuries, Merlin had become quite attuned to the practice of magic. If someone so much as lit a candle with magic, he felt it. Well, within a certain distance. Most of Great Britain was within his range, to be honest. It wasn't exactly a small range.

"If you are able to use magic to clean things, why did you not use it clean my armor? You very rarely actually got it clean."

"I did use magic to clean it, unless there was a chance of Gaius finding out. Gaius didn't exactly approve of me using my magic unless it was absolutely necessary."

Merlin hadn't felt _any_ magic, other than what he and Ellie practiced, in over twenty years. Well, except what he'd felt the day Arthur had returned.

"Traitor!" Arthur exclaimed. "Telling the girl squirrel where he was."

"You do realize that wasn't actually me, Arthur? It never happened. It's a made-up movie."

"Still."

"Maybe I should turn you into a squirrel, though. It certainly would be entertaining."

"Don't you dare. I am your king."

"Mmm, not really, if you think about it. Technically, you're dead. In fact, as far as the government and throne are concerned, you never existed at all. You have no power over me anymore."

Arthur scowled. "Oh, shut up."

But Merlin's focus was already back on the spell book he had open. Of course, there were dozens of spells that could bring back the dead, in some way or another. But to bring back the dead _and_ mask the presence of a powerful sorceress at the same time?

Nothing.

Frustrated, Merlin stood up and got himself a drink of water.

He turned to sit back down, only to find Arthur in his seat, curiously turning a page of the book in front of him. With a sigh, Merlin sat beside him. "Where's Ellie? Is the movie over already?"

"Yes. She went to choose another 'movie' for us to watch. _Seven_ spell books?" the former king asked, changing the subject. "And they're all…in your handwriting? Why is that?"

"Yes, well, I got rather bored in the late seventeen-hundreds. I've been studying magic since before you died, Arthur, and I've managed to collect hundreds of spell books and other magical relics since then. Not many magical items exist that aren't in my possession. Some books have a lot of the same spells as others. So I…compiled them. I organized them as well. This large book has healing spells. This is full of spells that cause pain. These two books are full of spells that do physical things, such as moving objects or creating fire. These two books have spells that effect the mind and heart. Love spells, illusions, that sort of thing. And that monstrous book in front of you is full of death spells."

"Death spells? They kill?"

"Not just that. About forty-six of them bring back the dead."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "Like the horn I used to summon my father."

"Precisely. Some will bring back just the spirit of a dead person, like with your father. Some can animate a corpse or skeleton. And some, though very few, can actually reform a body, even if the body has been dead for over a thousand years."

Arthur watched his friend, his eyes narrowed. "You're worried, aren't you? About sensing Morgana earlier today?"

Merlin glanced down the hall, toward Ellie's bedroom. He could hear her humming as she looked through her movies. "Try not to say her name around Ellie. The poor girl is scared to death of her, not that I can really blame her."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "You are worried, though?" he asked.

The warlock sighed. "Yes. I'm almost certain that I didn't actually sense her, but I can't shake the feeling. What I don't understand is why I sensed her for only an instant. _If_ she has been brought back from the dead, and _if_ she is nearby, then I would _still_ be able to sense her. And I can't."

"Maybe you were mistaken, then. Maybe she's not back from the dead."

"Maybe," Merlin said doubtfully. He chewed his lip in worry. He shook his head. His eyes widened suddenly, and he smacked his forehead. "Or maybe I've been thinking about this all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Merlin pulled the open book toward himself. "I was assuming that there was a spell performed to bring her back from the dead _and_ mask her presence from me. But maybe…my not being able to sense her has nothing to do with magic, not really."

Arthur frowned. "I'm…still not following you."

"Perhaps the spell that brought her back to life left her weak, _without_ powers. At least for the time being. Which would explain why I only sensed her for an instant. She's not at her full strength yet."

The warlock searched through the book. "I can eliminate all the spells that bring back only a spirit or animate a corpse."

"Why?"

"Even in a weakened state, I would be able to sense her spirit. Spirits give off a stronger…aura, I guess you could call it. And a reanimated corpse or skeleton wouldn't have any powers at all for me _to_ sense, even briefly. That leaves five possible spells but I can narrow that down even further. This spell here," Merlin said, pointing to the page he was on, "will reform even a skeleton to the state it was in before it died - magic and all, if there was magic. But it takes three days to complete."

"Which I suppose you, the most powerful sorcerer, would be able to sense."

"Oh, certainly, even if it was outside my normal range. A prolonged spell like that radiates farther out than other spells. I haven't sensed anything. This next spell will bring a person back to life, but it has to be performed within twenty-four hours of their death. That's obviously not the one used here. I almost thought it was this one here," Merlin said, pointing to a third spell. "It brings a person back, their body whole, but without any powers. If that had been the one used, I wouldn't have been able to sense her at all. I can't sense anybody who doesn't have magic. Well, except for you."

"You can _sense_ me? As in, you always know where I am? You can't read my mind, can you?"

"No, no mind reading. Yes, I can sense where you are. I'm not sure why, though. I certainly never could before you died. Anyway, I _did_ sense her, so that wasn't the one used. The next is a possibility, though not likely. The body is brought back, whole, just like before death, with magic and all. It takes about two to three days for them to regain their strength and magic back, though neither will be as good as they were before death. But it requires dragon tears. Both Kilgharrah and Aithusa are gone now. Which leaves us with this last spell."

Merlin turned the page and tapped it. "The body will be reformed, every inch the same as before death. However, it will take almost two weeks for their strength and magic to be fully regained - and they will be _fully_ regained. But here's the interesting part. The person who raised the dead can actually _bind_ the raised dead to them - both will and magic. It requires a two-part sacrifice, but it's done easily enough."

"Two-part sacrifice? That doesn't sound good."

"It's not. The summoner has to…cut off a body part of their own and somehow secure it to the corpse or skeleton to be reformed. They also have to pour the blood of…a child over the dead body."

"A _child_?" Arthur was horrified.

"Yes. The Old Religion requires balance. To create a life, you must take a life. Most of the time, the Old Religion doesn't care who dies, not exactly…it will choose someone somehow related or close to the person casting the spell. But some spells have certain requirements, such as this one."

Arthur's look of horror deepened. "When I came back…Did someone have to die?"

"No. You died, but you didn't really die. The lake of Avalon gave you a sort of immortality. Your body was preserved in a state of…sleep, I guess you could say. So you weren't exactly brought back to life. It's a loop hole, basically."

"So you think this was the spell used?"

"Yes. It would have been very powerful, especially if the binding ceremony was done as well. The night that you returned, I…Well, I didn't sense you, but Ellie did. I was a bit…"

"Drunk," Arthur supplied wryly.

"Yes. But that morning, Ellie and I both sensed a powerful magic. I thought it was you. But now I wonder. I think the person who brought Morgana back did it just outside of my range. A magic that powerful would create a sort of ripple effect that I would be able to feel outside of my normal range. No sorcerer within my range is powerful for that sort of magic. The ones around here mostly do healing charms. Little things. But, if that is the case and this person is somehow outside of my range, then I wonder what Morgana was doing close enough for me to sense her, even briefly."

But Merlin knew that there was no way to answer that question any time soon.

"So how do we find this person?"

Merlin sighed. "I'm not sure about that."

"Wait a minute. If this…person had to use a child, it should be easy enough to find him or her, shouldn't it? If a child has recently been taken or murdered, the parents would surely -"

Merlin shook his head. "It's a good thought, but that could take weeks."

Arthur just stared at his friend, uncomprehending.

"There were over five hundred children kidnapped last year in Great Britain," Merlin explained quietly. "And on average, there's one child murdered each week. The world's bad, Arthur."

"Each _week_? The murder of a child was actually somewhat rare in Camelot, with the exception of bandit raids and wars."

"I know. Like I said, it's bad. I'll see what I can do about tracking this person down, but…"

"I shouldn't expect much. That's what you're trying to say, isn't it?"

"No. You shouldn't. In fa-"

"I couldn't choose one," Ellie said suddenly. She stumbled into the room, her arms loaded with DVD cases. "There's so many good ones!"

Arthur's eyes widened as she dumped the lot of them on the table in front of him. She grinned widely at him. "So I decided that I would let you choose the next one to watch, King Arthur!"

* * *

**The numbers of kidnappings and murders and stuff are according to the internet. I don't know how accurate they are. The average of children who are murdered in the UK I found on the nspcc website. That was as of March 2014. And the number of children abducted in the UK was for the 2011/12 year. I couldn't find anything more recent on that. And that was from some website called theguardian. I'm just going to pretend that it was the year of 2013, though, because this story is set in 2014. My guess is that the numbers are close, if not exactly the same.**

**Like I said, I don't know how accurate they are, but I'm assuming they're at least close. Close enough for this, anyway. Basically, a lot of kids get abducted and murdered. All over the world, not just in the UK. I doubt the UK even has the highest numbers. It's saddening to me.**

**Sorry. I totally got off on a tangent there. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hope it's okay that it's so long, too. :/ I didn't mean for it to go on that long.**


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin sighed as he entered the house, the aging spell still on him. He could hear the telly in the living room, and then the sound stopped. Someone had either paused the program, or turned the telly entirely off. "Merlin?" Arthur called.

Merlin almost regretted showing Arthur how to use the telly. He was rather obsessed with it. He'd stayed up all night watching it. "Yeah. It's me, Arthur. Is my grandson Bradley here, by any chance? I saw his car out front."

Arthur came into the kitchen, followed by Bradley. "Hey, Granddad."

"What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, came over to hang out with Arthur."

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. Out of all of his grandchildren, Bradley was the least likely to want to "hang out" with a legendary king from over a thousand years ago.

"Did you have any luck?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head. "There's no way to know where the sorcerer is. And I got nowhere when I looked into…" Merlin paused, glancing at his youngest grandson. He didn't need Bradley telling the rest of his family about Morgana possibly being back. "…what would be needed for that second spell, the one that we thought the sorcerer might have done."

Arthur sighed. "Is there anything that we can do? Anything at all?"

"Wait. It's all we can do. If she does get her strength back in its entirety, I'll sense it, even if she is outside of my normal range. She's powerful enough."

"That's not a very comforting thought. If she's that powerful, how do we stand a chance against her?"

Merlin grinned. "You forget, Arthur. I've had about fifteen-hundred years to practice my magic. She hasn't. I defeated her once. I can do it again."

"But if she is bound to this sorcerer, the two of them together might be too much, even for you."

"_What_ are you two talking about?" Bradley demanded.

"It's nothing," the warlock replied.

"Codswallop. You're talking about magic."

Merlin sighed, looking away from his grandson. He ignored him. "There's really nothing that we can do right now, Arthur," he said. "We can only wait. I hate it, too. But…there's nothing else we can do right now. Besides, I need to go pick Ellie up from her friend's house in a few minutes."

"I'll do that," Bradley offered. "Which friend is she staying with?"

"Annalise. Thank you, Bradley. What were you and Arthur watching?"

"Uh…" Bradley trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. He wouldn't meet his grandfather's eyes.

Merlin narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then he groaned. He could think of only one reason that Bradley wouldn't want to tell him which program they had been watching. "Oh, you've shown him _Merlin_, haven't you?"

Bradley grinned sheepishly. "Maybe."

Merlin hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea of letting Arthur see that particular version of the legend. On the one hand, it was nice for Arthur to know exactly how much he had done for him all those years ago. On the other hand, there were some things that Merlin regretted. Some things that he didn't exactly want his friend to see. "How far have you gotten?"

"We just started episode eight, of the first series. _The Beginning of the End_. The one with, you know, the druid boy. We're barely five minutes into it."

"Episode _eight_? What, did you start the instant I left the house this morning?"

"Pretty much," the young boy admitted. "I think I got here just a few minutes after you left. I didn't know you were going to be spending most of the day at the clinic. What do you do there, anyway? You go down to that clinic a lot. You can't be sick that often."

"I volunteer."

"Granddad, really?"

"I volunteer," Merlin repeated. "If you'll remember from the program, I studied healing under Gaius. I do actually have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to medicine. And when I'm feeling up to it, I use a little bit of magic to heal those that I can. I haven't been able to do that as much in the past few years, because my power has been focused on continually keeping up the aging spell. I was able to help again today, after doing my research that I needed to do."

"Research on what?"

Merlin just shook his head.

Arthur looked at his friend. "It can't hurt to tell him, can it?"

"You don't know this boy. He cannot keep his mouth closed."

"A bit like his grandfather, then."

"Oh, shut up, clotpole. I'm not telling Bradley. I could trust Sally to keep it a secret, but not Bradley."

"Granddad, that's not really fair."

Merlin arched an eyebrow at the boy. "It's entirely fair, and you know it."

"Can you heal anything?" the boy asked, not bothering to argue with his grandfather any more. He knew Merlin was right.

"No," Merlin answered, sensing where this conversation was headed. "There are some things that even magic can't cure. I tried, with your grandmother. I tried to heal her cancer. But it was too late. The cancer was too strong. Perhaps if we had caught it sooner, it would have been possible. But, in the end, my magic could do nothing to save her. Cancer is one of the few things that not even magic can cure, if it's not caught in time."

Bradley nodded, not saying anything.

"Now, go get your cousin, please."

Grumbling, Bradley pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked to the front door.

"So," Arthur began, "you were the one who forged Lancelot's seal of nobility?"

"Uh, yeah."

Arthur nodded. He looked lost in thought.

"What are you thinking, Arthur?"

"I'm thinking that it's going to take all the magic we can get to stop Morgana, if she really is back and bound to this mysterious sorcerer. I'm thinking that your magic might not be enough, no matter how powerful you. You said that Ellie is becoming almost as powerful as you?"

Merlin shook his head. "I won't put her in Morgana's path. She's seven, Arthur. She's too young to be fighting a powerful sorceress like Morgana. She's too young to be fighting anyone."

"No. No, of course not. I wouldn't ask you to do that, to put a child in harm's way. I'm…I had something else in mind, actually."

"What?"

Arthur sighed. "It might not be very helpful, but I thought…Perhaps I could…What I mean to say is…Perhaps I could learn some basic spells. It might not help much, but…"

Merlin's jaw dropped. "You…want to learn…_magic_?"

"Well, I don't want us to be defeated by Morgana again."

A grin spread across Merlin's face. "That would be brilliant. Morgana would never expect _you_ to learn magic. She wouldn't see you as a threat, so even small enchantments, done by you, would take her by surprise. Brilliant, Arthur."

* * *

**Author's note: Here's the next chapter! Sorry I'm not updating as often as when I first put the story up. I'm trying to think of which direction, exactly, I want to go with this story. Please review. I love to hear all of your comments and thoughts on the chapters. I hope you're all enjoying it!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Is it hard to learn?" Arthur asked, staring at the spell book in front of him.

Merlin shrugged. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask that question. I was able to do some of the simpler spells before I could even talk. Well, technically, I wasn't really doing any spells. I was doing magic, plain and simple. Gaius told me that for most people, it takes years of study to be considered skillful in magic. But if you're only looking to master a few specific spells, it doesn't take very long. Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks or months, depending on the person. Most people take about two weeks to really learn one spell."

"And anyone can learn magic, if they want to?"

"Well, yeah. Kind of. Some are better than others and will have more success. No one is _born_ with magic, Arthur."

Arthur arched an eyebrow. "Except you, apparently. And your granddaughter."

"Yes, except us. As far as I know, we're the only ones. The first spell we're going to focus on is one that is quite simple, but can be very effective. I've used it many times myself. It means 'I strike.' It will push an enemy backwards. If it's used with enough force, it will knock the person out. It can also kill, if the person hits their head with enough force when they are thrown."

Arthur nodded. "All right. What do I say?"

"Focus on me. Think about what you want, to throw me into the sofa. Now, repeat this word: _Astrice_."

The former king took a deep breath. Then he looked at Merlin. " _Astrice_!" he said, the word strange on his tongue.

Merlin flew through the air and landed on the sofa with a soft thump. He blinked up at Arthur in surprise. "Well," he began, "it seems that a form of immortality wasn't the only think the lake of Avalon gave you."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a knack for magic. It would have taken most people a few tries - at least - to be able to do what you just did. I think you'll learn the spells quite easily."

"Huh. That's not…what I had expected."

"Neither had I."

"Why did nothing happen when you said the incantation?"

"I didn't want it to. I have perfect control over my powers, Arthur. As I've said before, I've had many years to hone my skills. When I first came to Camelot, everything was instinct for me. I had a difficult time controlling it. Now, it's like breathing. My magic only does what I want it to, when I want it to."

"I still don't get the whole born with magic concept. I've heard people say that they were born with magic. But, according to you, that's not really possible. Nobody is _born_ with it. But anyone can do it, apparently."

Merlin sighed. "I guess I shouldn't have said that anyone could do it. That's not entirely accurate. There are people who could spend years studying spells and incantations who can't actually _use_ magic. They don't have a magic bone in their body. My wife was one of those. She tried, for many years, to learn. She wanted to learn. She couldn't. No matter how much she studied and practiced, she couldn't perform magic. I do believe that most people are born with magic, with the innate power. Some people go through life never knowing they have magic, because they never attempt to use it. It's like…a muscle. It's there, but it's not very useful or strong if it's not exercised. If it's never exercised, then it's almost as if it doesn't exist."

Arthur nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

Merlin studied his friend carefully. "How do you feel about all of this? Honestly? Learning magic?"

"It's…strange," the blonde man answered with a sigh. "I spent so much of my life fearing magic, and even hating it. But I never understood it. I'm starting to understand it better now. I'm realizing that magic isn't good or evil. It just is. It's how people use it. Just like power and authority. It's a tool to be wielded, and it can either be wielded for good or for evil."

Merlin grinned. "I can't even begin to tell you how happy it makes me to hear those words. Should we contin-"

"Pappy!"

Ellie collided with Merlin's legs. Sally walked in behind her, grinning. "Hi, Granddad. I hope you don't mind me picking her up. I was driving back from University when I saw that she was still waiting at the school to be picked up."

Merlin winced, glancing at the clock. "I'm so sorry, Ellie. I forgot. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

The girl shrugged. "I suppose it's all right. I was only outside for a little while."

Sally sat by Arthur, pulling the spell book toward her. She made sure that her arm kept brushing against the former king's arm. "What are you working on, anyway?"

"Magic," Arthur and Merlin said together.

Sally stared at them. "Seriously? And Arthur's not completely freaking out?"

"Shut up," Arthur said. But he was grinning slightly.

Merlin arched an eyebrow at the two of them. He caught Ellie's eye, who then grinned and made kissing noises at her older cousin.

"Ellie!" Sally exclaimed.

Ellie just laughed.

* * *

**Author's note: I know, I know. It's way late and it's shorter than the others. I'm so sorry. I've started my student teaching, and that means that I have pretty much no free time. :( I probably won't be able to post anything new for a while. I'll try, but I really can't make any promises.**

**When it comes to the spells and the incantations used, I actually did look it up. I can't remember what the website is exactly (I have the link saved somewhere on my computer, but I don't want to go hunting for it now), but it was really cool. It listed each incantation used on the show, by the episode. And it showed two different spellings, the phonemic and then the possible real spelling. I just went with the phonemic spelling, because then it's easier to read. If I use any more spells in this fic, then I will definitely use that website as a reference!**


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